Of all the jobs in the game industry, I get the most questions about how to become a video game tester. Maybe it’s the appeal of “getting paid to play video games.” Maybe it’s just an interesting option for people hoping to work from home doing something they love. I mean, who wouldn’t dream of getting paid to play games all day?

Even though being a QA tester for a game company isn’t exactly “getting paid to play video games,” it’s not a bad way to earn a living. And it’s certainly a common way for newbies to break into the game industry.

If you’re thinking about becoming a video game tester, this is for you. I’ve compiled this FAQ-style list of the top questions I get about QA testing jobs. If you don’t find your question here, then be sure to ask it in the comments section below – I’ll answer it, and then add it to the list!

How can I learn game testing job skills?

Learn how to become a game tester with my book, Land a Job as a Video Game Tester. You’ll learn the basics of game testing, and all the steps to apply, interview, and accept job offers. It’s got everything you need to know to get a job testing games. read it

How much do video game testers make?

Tester hourly pay can vary based on factors such as company, geographical location, and years of experience. For details, check out this article on video game tester salary.

Do I have to go to college or university to become a video game tester? What kind of degree should I get?

QA testing is generally considered an entry-level position in the game industry. Most companies do not require a college degree to be hired as a game tester. But if you do get a degree, then you have a much better chance of moving into higher-paying jobs in QA, or moving into other areas of game development like art, design or programming. To be honest, those other jobs almost always pay a lot more than a job as a tester. So if you want to have a career in the game industry and not just a job then it’s smart to get an education.

In fact, many of the testers I’ve known over the years were working as testers so they could pay their way through college. They would work part time while they went to school, or even full time while they took classes in the evenings. (Many colleges have “evening degree” programs for working professionals.) Then, after they got their degrees, they got a new job, sometimes at the same studio, doing what they went to school for – like art, programming or design. And you can bet they also got a healthy pay increase.

Do I need to move to a certain location to be a video game tester?

Most game testing jobs are going to be near the larger game studios, in the larger cities. If you want to break into the game industry, you’ll have the best chances of finding work if you can move to one of the major cities for game development.

Find game jobs in any location

Tip: type any job title, keywords, company, or location

Can I get a job testing video games from home?

I don’t personally have experience with “work from home” testing companies, but they do exist. I asked one of my friends who has run several QA groups over the years. He said he’s heard good things about uTest. They provide a “crowdsourced” testing service, and he thinks that many of their QA employees work from home.

Where would I find someone hiring for video game testers?

What high school classes or after school activities would be great for video game testers?

Can I assume that you already love to play games? If so, start paying attention to the bugs in each game. Learn how to “break” the game by doing things inside the game world that the designers didn’t expect you to do. Also, to be a good tester you need to be disciplined and focused. Pay attention in school and get good grades.

You can also learn more about game design by reading through some of the top game design books.

Some classes that could help you get a QA job might be: technical writing, computer programming (introduction), project management, possibly Microsoft Excel.

What qualities/requirements are video game testing companies looking for in a a rookie testing candidate?

Some of the traits that game studios and testing companies look for in a good tester include:

Focus: You need to have a good attention span, and not get bored of a game even after you’ve been testing it for a loooooong time.

Detail oriented: You need to be able to spot bugs, figure out how to make them happen predictably, and describe the precise steps to the development team to help them find and fix the bugs.

Writing: You’ll be communicating with the dev team and other testers by email and through notes in the bug-tracking software, so you’ll want to be able to clearly communicate your thoughts in written form.

Attitude: Companies look for testers who have a good attitude, are hard workers, and can be fun teammates – and avoid being overly negative/sarcastic/angry.

Are game testers required to travel once in a while?

Normally, testers don’t have to travel much. But it depends on what kind of company you’re working for. If you end up being a tester on a project that’s developed in a different town than where you’re testing it – for example if you’re working for a publisher in San Francisco but the developer is in Seattle – then you might need to travel occasionally. If you can’t travel for some reason, it’s probably not a deal-breaker for most testing companies.

What other kinds of testing jobs are out there?

There’s also a job that you may not have heard of yet, called an “SDET.” That stands for “software design/development engineer in test.” It’s a cool job that’s basically a programmer that writes code – code that tests the games in an automated way. So it’s like a testing job, but the salary is much higher since it requires programming skills. A programming degree or some programming classes would be really helpful for landing a job as an SDET.

What kinds of companies would be good to work for?

That’s really up to you. What kinds of companies do you like? Which games and types of games are your favorites? Which companies are in cities that you think you’d like to live in?

A good set of rules to help with a decision might be:

Work at a company that makes games you’re interested in. You’ll be spending a lot of time testing their games. It will be more fun and engaging if you like what you’re working on. You won’t always get to work on stuff you love to play, but do it whenever you can.

Work at a company that’s big enough to have different career options for you. You probably won’t want to stay in the same job forever. Try to work at a company that has several teams and several products, so you can have a chance to move up or change jobs after a few years.

Work at a company that has friendly, fun, nice people working there. You may be working very long hours for days or weeks before each game release. It will be much more enjoyable if the people you’re working with aren’t jerks.

How old do you have to be in order to be a video game tester?

Technically, you just need to be whatever the minimum working age is in your state/province. But practically, most game companies won’t hire people as testers until they turn 18 years old.

Do testing companies provide health insurance and other benefits?

No, not all companies provide insurance to QA testers. Many companies hire QA as “temporary” workers, and are not required to pay for their health benefits. If a tester is employed through a temporary staffing agency, the agency may pay health insurance. Otherwise you should buy private insurance for yourself.

How can I start learning about game testing right now?

Learn how to become a game tester with my book, Land a Job as a Video Game Tester. You’ll learn the basics of game testing, and all the steps to apply, interview, and accept job offers. It’s got everything you need to know to get a job testing games. read it

Do video game testers get bonuses like for Christmas or other holidays, and if so how much?

That depends on the studio you work for. Some studios give bonuses, and some don’t. For companies that do give bonuses, it’s usually based on the success of a shipped product or it could be based off of the studio’s revenue for the past year. Bonuses are usually a percentage of your annual salary, anywhere from 5% on up.

Do video game testers get vacations? If so, how long, and are you paid during vacations?

If you’re hired as a full-time employee, you’ll normally start accruing paid vacation time right away. Temporary employees do not usually get paid vacation.

Do the companies give you the game systems that you need to work with or do you need to buy them yourself?

The game companies will provide the game systems. Often, you’ll be using a “dev kit” version of the game system, which is a specially-modded version that allows developers to debug their games as they create them. Only official game studios have access to dev kit hardware, so they will provide the kits to their employees.

Where can I get information about video game schools?

You can use the game school search tool to find out about video game schools near you. It’s never too soon to start collecting info, and it’s totally free.

Find game schools near you

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309 comments on “How To Become A Video Game Tester (FAQ)”

I am born to play games. I played first game when I was 4 as my dad bought me console but now I want to be only game tester but being honest no one supports me in this i play 20to18hrs a day online different games almost all new old game I want to apply for game tester job how can I do it IDC about how much they paid am happy with small amount because that way i can do what i love.

Hi Samin, your comment made me chuckle! If you could get paid to play games, then everybody would do that for sure. The fact is that game testing is a lot of work, and sometimes it’s not even very fun. You don’t get to just play the game, you have to search for bugs and write a report for each bug you find. Sometimes you could write 20 or more reports each day. Then when the dev team fixes the bug, you have to go into the game to make sure it’s really fixed, which can take a while.

Since you love games, you should follow a career in games for sure. Become a programmer, artist, or game designer. Then you can spend all day making (and playing!) games of your own. Good luck!

Hi I have been wanting to be in video game industry’s since I was very little. And I’m not very book smart am a sports fanatic. I’m 18 and on my senior year. I don’t want to go to the military like my parents want so I want to pursue this dream. I could really use some eadvice and maybe a good company to start with. I’m very hard worker and focused on the solution rather then the problem. If you could help me out it could change my life. Thank you -Colten pol

Hi Colten, even if you go to the military, you could still attend college afterword and even have a game design career. I’ve worked with a number of game developers that came from the military, including one very good artist and one excellent game designer that now runs an indie game studio. You will always have options!

Well… All i do is gaming all i mostly ever wanted to do is game and it would be ARWSOME to be in the industry thats if there is one in New Zealand but if there is, i really want to just test game and do reports because i played games with a lot of bugs and i do make reports about them etc… But this is a job i would love to have!!! Sincerely – Harry Wilson McGill

Hi my names Jay J King and I was wondering if i could become a video game tester, and the other thing is is graphic design part for the video game tester, and i’m 13 years old and i’m a 8th grader and I wanted to become a video game tester since 7th grade

Hey Jason, I really hope you reply to this because I can use the advice. I’ve been playing games since I was about 8 and ever since I love pointing out glitches and bugs. Because of this I would love to become a game/QA tester. Unfortunately I’ve been looking for advice online to find colleges for a while now, and I’m running around in circles. If you email me I would be able to get into more detail and information about my situation. I greatly appreciate any advice you give me, thank you.

Hello Jason,
I’ve been playing video games since the original launch of the Xbox 360 console. I’m 17 and I am very eager to go into this field of work. I’ve found countless bugs through my years of gaming and I always try to help people on the community forums for that game! Knowing that people get paid for doing this, I thought I might give it a go and get paid for doing something I love! I know there are hundreds of comments and you hear stories like this all the time. To tell you the truth, I’ve never been good at perusing things that I wanted to do. I spend hours and hours of research and I can never find the right information I need. I never have the proper guidance. I loved this forum. It helped so much and actually gave me hope that I can do the thing I love to do the most one day as a career. I really don’t know where to look for a job in this field at. I live in a small city, the only work here is just small restaurants and other small companies. I wonder, should I move to a different city and pursue my dream? Is there anyway I could work for a company from home? Could I test games and spend the hours and hours of researching and locating bugs from the comfort of my room? Please give me guidance.
Thank you!

Hi Brandon, it’s unlikely that you can find a testing job working from home. You’ll have the best shot by moving closer to a city that has a lot of game dev studios. If you find a city you like, you could apply to jobs and try to get a job offer before you move – that way you wouldn’t be jobless in a new city, which can be a struggle!

As A Hardcore Gaming Enthusiast,I Would Like Like To Know Different Areas And Skills Required To Get Into The Gaming Industry.I Am Not Good At Programming,What Other Areas Can I Work On? Like you Mentioned Artist or A Game Designer In your Comments,What Does It Really Take To Be That and Is Degree a Necessity? As I Am Currently Pursuing B.B.A.
Drawing Is One Of My Hobby I Absolutely Love And Am Quite Good At That,I Am Curious Yet Anxious To Know What Would Be The Best Suitable Way To Join Gaming Industry?

1. What skills are you good at, and what would you enjoy doing for your career?
2. What skills are in demand in the job market for your area?

For example, if you’re a very good artist but it’s difficult to find artist jobs in your city/state/country, then maybe that’s not a good career path for you right now unless you’re willing to move to a different city.

A degree is not usually required, but it’s much easier to find a job when you have a degree because it will help you get trained, help you build a portfolio, and possibly help you get some personal connections in the industry.

Hi
I play now for fun from 8 to 18 hours a dday.if not more sonetimes
I would love to be a tester reporter and get paid to play as you put it.. Please email me a link to someone you may know that needs someone that can get it done.
thanks

Hi Tai, there are many places to work if you want to become a game tester. I can’t recommend one over another on this website, so you’ll have to do some more research and start applying for jobs if you’re ready to start work.

Keep in mind that it’s a lot more work than just playing games all day. You’ll be required to write bug reports, reproduce bugs, and assist the development team. But I think it’s a fun job, and it’s a good way to start a career in the game industry.

What a Game tester should do to go to the next level, become a Senior Tester?
Is there some kind of requirements or tests that need to be done so your Test lead will know that you are the right person to lean on and eventualy becoming a Test Lead yourself ?

Most companies do not have a formal process for selecting a Lead Tester. If you want to progress in your career, then you should do great work and help your leads accomplish their goals for the project. Always work to take on more responsibility. If your leads come to see you as a hard worker who is capable of more responsibility, then they may promote you next time there’s an opening for a lead tester position.

If you get a job as a game tester, they’ll usually supply any hardware you might need. That could be a PC, or it could be a development kit for a console. If it’s a mobile game testing job, there’s software such as TestFlight that would let you play builds on your smartphone. It just depends on the job.

Valve has a branch in Luxembourg, but as far as I know they don’t have a location in Russia. So you’d probably have to move to Luxembourg or to Bellevue (USA) to work for them.

But if you’re just starting your career, you probably won’t be able to work at Valve – they only hire very experienced developers. But it’s a good goal, so work hard in your career and someday you may be able to work for Valve!

There are a couple of things I’m curious about here.
Living in the UK I’m aware that opportunities are more limited than in the USA. But I’ve been passionate about video games for as long as I can remember, and I’m certain this is the industry for me. However I hold no qualifications in programming, designing etc so testing seems to be the way to go (which is great because testing is the field im most interested in anyway). The things I’d like to know are:

1. The actual processes involved in testing a game. (Task assignments, deadlines, are reports submitted individually or does a team work through each area at a time?)

2. What bug reports and databases actually look like, how they should be compiled and exactly how a tester would use them.

3. Is there particular software I should be familliar with before I even apply for a position?

4. Career progression- How high can I really go?

I would really appreciate it if these could be answered as others I have asked either didn’t want to provide this information or simply didn’t know it. I just want to be as prepared as I can be.
Thanks!

Hi Andy, these are good questions but the answers are complicated – they could fill an entire book about game testing! I’ll give you some short answers, buy you’ll need to do more Google searching to learn more.

1. Usually there’s a team of testers assigned to a game. They work together, but each one might be assigned a certain part of the game such as combat or AI, or it might be divided up by area such as level or character. Each tester submits their own bug reports, and then re-tests the bug once the development team has marked the bug as “fixed” in the next build.

2. Most of the bug software works the same as all the others. For each bug you find, you create a new “page” (database entry) and fill out the form. The form will ask for information such as which area of the game you found the bug in, how “bad” the bug is (e.g. does it just look bad, or does it actually crash the game). Then you type up the exact steps you took to find the bug, so that a member of the development team can do the same thing to see the bug in action and fix it.

3. Most of the bug-reporting software is very easy to learn and easy to use, so don’t worry about which one you should learn. If you can fill out a Web form for ordering a product from a site like Amazon, then you’ll be able to figure out the bug reporting software.

4. If you’re in a large testing department, then the career ladder will usually have advanced titles like Lead Tester, or Director of Test. But many testers move out of the testing department into other departments, for example to become an Associate Producer on a dev team.

Thank you so much for all of your answers to those questions, it has really helped me. I want to eventually work my way up to either being a programmer at valve or ubisoft. But I want to start off my video game career as a game tester. But just a quick question, what would it take to be a game tester for a company like ubisoft or valve because it would make it much easier working my way up on the job ladder for a company that I want to work for. And if they are only looking for experienced testers to work for them what do you recommend as a good company to test games for that would accept new testers?

Valve and Ubisoft may have internal testing teams, but most game studios do not keep a large number of testers on the payroll – instead, they hire outside game testing companies. I don’t know which contract firms they use, but Babble used to be a big one, and UTest/Applause is popular right now. You could start by looking at one of those companies.

Hi Eric – The best job is whichever one you’re good at and you enjoy doing. Try lots of different things in school (art, programming, etc.) to see what “clicks” with you, and then move in that direction. Have fun!

Adrian, it just depends on the legal working age in your state/county/country. If 17 years old is a legal age allowed to work full-time where you live, then it’s likely that game testing companies or game studios could hire you.

I live in the UK and am currently trying to decide what career I want to do in the future. I’ve been playing vdeo games for as long as I can remeber so I feel like a job in this sector would be great. Unfortunately to get a degree that would mean I could become a game developer I would need to study IT at A-Level and to study it at A-Level I would have to study it at GCSE and unfortunately that was not possible. I feel that becoming a games tester would be satisfying but I would really like to move up in that line of work to become a developer so I was wondering if there was anything that I could do?
I have studied Drama/Theatre studies at GCSE so Ic ould continue to do that at A-Level with the possiblity of becoming a voice actor for video games if that’s a career that would be available to me.

Becoming a voice actor for games is not a career that I’d recommend, because there is very little actual work available. And most of the work is handled by union voice actors in Hollywood. I don’t know of any game studios that have a full-time voice actor on staff – they all outsource it.

Your plan of starting as a game tester might be a good one, since you can start learning about the industry as you also get a paycheck. But in order to “move up” from a tester to a developer, you’d need to also take some courses to learn and practice your programming skills.

To search for tester jobs, you could start at the game job search page. You can also go directly to the websites of game companies or testing companies, and check their job boards to see what’s open (that’s how you know they’re hiring).

I really like video games but I have a short attention span because I have ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder it doesn’t bother me when I am playing games only when I am doing other things like writing or reading I am an excellent reader but not a great writer I really want to be a video game tester I already try to find bugs and glitches in the games I play it helps to lengthen the game I have medicine that I take for it but it makes me a bit A-social I don’t get aggressive or any thing like that but I can be kinda shy would that be a problem.

Hi Gordon, I don’t think you need to worry about your ADHD. I know many people in the industry who have been diagnosed with ADHD, it often becomes easier to deal with as you get older. Never use it as an excuse! You can do anything you want, if you work hard for it.

Ok, I am 20 years old. I have been playing games before I could walk. (Literally, I was sitting on my dads lap clicking around and “playing” the best I could as a toddler, Starcraft lol) No one on my family is as passionate about gaming as I am. Its no addiction or unhealthy because I control my weight, take care of my eyes/lighting, and take breaks. I immerse myself into the game. Replying games in different ways, especially free roam/open world games, and role play even. I was told once, “There is a whole world out there man, stop sitting in there playing games” to which I replied that “I have seen more worlds and lived more lives in my games that you may never experiance.” I am always promoting games I enjoy and recommed them. I convince people to at least trt demos/trials or view videos at least to see. I get excited for new games, and saddened when I beat title/franchise I put years into. (Mass Effect is one) My question/comment whatever you may see this as, is this. I do not hardly know anything about computers. Coding and modding is beyond my skills. However I do tell people what ideas I would like to see implemented, what bugs there is at times, I can play a whole day away besides eating,sleeping, etc if time permits, and I have ideas of worlds, languages, characters, and more all in my head. That I thought up. Some may be based off of races/worlds/names of other things but never exact. But I am terrible at art. I can not draw. I have all these ideas and said if I could put them on paper or on a computer I could be rich and bring whole new life to games. I am scared to shoot for a testing job and work in college only to fail out use lack of computing skills and art skills. I have a vivid immagination. I can look around my home state and turn it futuristic ot post apocolyptic or alien without even closing my eyes. No exaggeration. Advice? Wisdom? Anything. I have often thought (sadly I might add) of getting rid of games and “growing up” like everyone tells me to, but I want to give back o other games and become a designer or dev even someday. But afraid to mess up. Should I go with a normal mundane job, or risk it? Help me out peeps, ima gamer, ima nerd, a trekkie/trekker, harry potter lover, lord of the rings follower, star wars fanboy. In essence, im your peer xD advice?

Hi Robert. It’s cool to see that you have so much passion for games! If you want to pursue a career making games, you need to figure out how to turn that passion into a skill set that you can use. I actually do think that getting a job as a tester could be a good place for you to start, because you could use your attention and focus to make money while you learn about the process of making games. Then after a while, you may start to see which other roles might be good for you to get into, for example you might make a good game producer.

But you have to start somewhere – nobody is going to pay you to play games all day! You need to start learning a skill set, and one skill set that might come naturally to you is a Game Tester.

hi im jermal thank you for giving so much awesome information it really helped out. my question is what in your opinion is the perfect industry to go to become a game tester, and future game developer?

Hi Jermal, I don’t quite understand your question. If you mean “what is the best way to start your career” as a game tester or game developer, in my opinion it’s a good idea to get a certificate or a degree in game design. Or, if you want to be a game programmer, then a degree in computer science.

I recently got to “play test” a game for the first time. It was at an anime convention and they had a demo for it up and running. I found the game itself kind of slow and a little boring but when I clicked on the trees they would either disappear or, if they were dead, flicker back to life. I thought it was so cool that I immediately started looking for more bugs that the creator had missed, he was right at the table so it was easy to show it to him. I’m trying to choose a career with something I love and wanted to know more about this as an option. I’m interested in play testing but also in translation and programming. Those are all very different fields and I’m wondering what to expect from each one when it comes to jobs and requirements. If you could give me any insight it would be helpful.

Hi Jackie, it’s interesting that you mention an interest in translation. Do you mean that you’re bilingual or multilingual? If so, you should investigate jobs as at companies that do “localization testing” because they employ translators and also testers. One company I’ve worked with before is Babel Media, so that could be a good place to start your search.

If you’re interested in programming, then game programming is of course a full-time job if you’re good at it. Also, there’s a type of tester that often gets to use programming skills to write code that tests games, so that’s something else you could look into. (Search Google for “white box tester jobs” or “automation tester jobs.”)

Thank you for getting back to me! I’m sorry for my late response, but I’ll keep that in mind. I know that Gameloft has an office in my area, New Orleans, do you know if they do any internships?

I was interested in translation because Aksys is a company that, from what I’ve read, specializes in game localization and also produces the kind of games that I have an interest in. Although getting info on them, short of Wikipedia, has been difficult. Their website, if I’m looking at the right one, is a little quirky.

I was also looking into Atlus, because again they produce games that I find interesting. It seems that the only jobs that they are hiring for right now are Japanese to English translators.

Not really. The main reason to have a website is to show off your portfolio of work, but for testing there’s not any “work product” to show off. I would recommend setting up a LinkedIn profile, and that can be your online resume.

Thank you for the advice and knowledge on Game Testers. I am currently in college taking the Game Simulation and Development program. I’ve been studying this for about 2 years in college and got the basics down. How would I find a stepping stone for becoming a game play tester? I don’t want to try for big named companies and etc… I want to actually build a portfolio on testing games, Designing games, and programming games but I don’t know what to look for when finding something where I can give my first professional attempt to test a video game or project.

Hi Nehemiah, if you’re getting a programming degree, then you should start applying to programming jobs when you near graduation. Especially if you’re building some small games as part of your schooling, you should have a portfolio by the time you graduate, and may be able to get an entry-level programming job. Best of luck!

Hey i have a question regarding bug reports. After reading your column I felt inspire and signed up for a company but something that is not clear although I did my reaserch in bug report. I have fiddler and I’m new with all I get the part about giving the log on the report but how and plus would it be important to send pics and videos??
Thank you 🙂

It’s usually important to send any information that might help the development team reproduce and fix the bugs, including screen shots or video capture. But you should ask your employer to clarify what they want, since every company has different requirements.

I play games all day it is my own personal therapy and passion,I teach other gamers and explore all aspects of the game I am playing. I find all there is to do and secrets to find then move on to the next game. My question to you is how can I make a living doing this, I spend so much time and dedication playing games,I feel I should get paid! Please send me some guidelines to help me get started on this path. Thank you for your time.

Well April, like I said in the article – nobody will pay you for just playing games. Testing games is a skill set that goes beyond “playing” the game, you need to understand how to find bugs and report them, and how to communicate with the dev team. But every great game developer starts out as a great game player – so start thinking about a plan for turning all that enthusiasm into a career in design, programming, art or another game job!

Hey Jason,
You said that companies would lend testers the hardware needed to complete their tasks. Is there a fee to use their equipment? (ie. PC, XBox, Wii, etc.)

This next question is kinda off topic, but were you, at a time, ever a game tester? If so, was is for a big company? I always worry that I won’t get hired, because, since it has to do with video games. A lot of people are going to want to apply for the positions. I’m also aware of the work involved in game testing. I know about the “bug hunting”. The reports about the bug found. What if after hours and hours of searching, you don’t find a bug or miss it by the slightest bit? Would you lose the job? And if you lose the job, would you have to send the equipment back?
I apologize for typing so much, but it seems as if you’re the only person that actually reads and replies to comments/questions.
I will, however; take your advice and apply for positions that are most fit for me.
One last question before I conclude this comment.
Since this will be my first time in the game testing field, will they “show me the ropes” so to speak? Or will I have to learn as I go individually?

– A Curious Gamer,
Mario

P.S.
If you could respond to this sometime soon… It would be much appreciated.

Hi Mario – Yes, I was a game tester for about a year at a game studio called KnowWonder (they no longer exist). The studio will usually provide the hardware as part of the job.

It is a competitive position since lots of people want to test games, but there’s also a lot of turnover so there’s always new people coming into the job. Don’t worry about not being able to find any bugs – usually when software is being developed, there are hundreds or even thousands of bugs. Plenty to keep every tester busy!

In most testing jobs, you will have a Lead Tester that is your manager. They will show you the ropes and help you learn your way around. Good luck!

Could you please tell what can I expect on interview? What are the typical tests for the candidates? How can I master my skills and prepare to the selection of the aspirants? I know the best way to gain experience is to work as a tester but how can I increase my chances here at home?

Hi Mike, the questions in a QA/Tester interview will be different at every studio. But there are certain types of questions that you should be prepared for. Some examples are questions about things like:

Your interest and experience playing video games. They want to make sure that you don’t “hate” any certain types of games, and that you know how to play games from many different genres including RPG, FPS, puzzlers, etc.

Your communication skills. They want to make sure you are a decent writer, and that you can communicate ideas well between others on the QA team and the development team.

Your problem-solving skills. They may give you little “tests” such as “Explain how you would check for bugs in a refrigerator.” They want to make sure that you are systematic and thorough in your approach to QA.

Hi William, to get a job as a game tester you’d have to be of legal age in your state/county. (Usually 16 years old in the USA.) They would not accept a video of steps to get a bug, they’d want you to submit a resume and then do one or more interviews at the testing company or game studio.

i practically live and breathe video games. I can talk about them for hours. (ask my boyfriend.) when people tell me that they never got into video games it almost breaks my heart a little bit. but, I am going to college, and since I’d like to have my career based around video games whether it would be designing them, programming, or testing them, what kind of classes should I take? 3D animation? graphic design? does it all depend? I would love to make this into a career so I would like to be able to have some degrees and proper knowledge to make my resume more impressive, and eventually climb the ladder.

Hi Tyffani, you seem very passionate about games, that’s awesome! There are lots of different careers, so you need to figure out which one(s) might “click” with your interests and talents. You could start by finding out whether you are more attracted to art, or to programming, or design. Check out the Quest for Your Career articles to learn more about each one – once you find something that sounds interesting, then you can start thinking about how to pursue it. Have fun!

Gerdus, you would not need to move the the USA to test games, there are game-testing companies all over the world. I did a quick google search for “game testing companies South Africa” and turned up results in Cape Town and in Johannesberg, so start with a search and see what you find.

HI, I noticed that most of you guys, if not all of you are adults. Well I am in 8th grade. I play video games whenever I can. Some days not at all, other up to 6 hrs. My dad doesn’t support my love for games at all. My mom isn’t as bad but still she wont be pleased, because I haven’t told them that I want to be a video game tester. I would like you guys to give me some about were I should go or what I should do to accomplish this. By the way I live in California by UC Irvine collage.

Hi Kyler, your parents will want you (and rightly so) to pick a career that has more long-term growth potential, like Game Programmer or Game Artist. Think of Game Tester as a job that could help you start out in a video game career, but not something to do for your whole life. For example I started as a game tester, but then I took programming classes and eventually moved into a job at the same company as a game designer and programmer.

You’re reading this site, so that’s a good start. If you live in a town that has game studios, you could contact people at those studios and see if they’d allow you to do a “job shadow” so you can learn more about their jobs. Also check out my e-book on starting a game career.

Hi Chad, Bethesda’s games are awesome! Bethesda is one of the Big Boys in the game industry though, so it would be hard to get a job there as a beginner. You’ll probably need to get a job at a smaller game studio when you’re starting out, and then after you get some on-the-job experience you could start applying to Bethesda.

Hi i am from Malaysia.I started CPU games like Counter-Strike and other FPS games and i play on average 6-8 hours per day.I would like to know how to start my career on this sector cuz im very very raw currently

I am very passionate about gaming and enjoy searching a game for bugs and glitches and would love to eventually get myself into the bigger gaming industry and see this as a great start. I’ve searched and searched for jobs in this field, but none are showing up. I live in the Atlanta, GA area and can’t find a single Game QA/Test job. What should I do?

Hi Dylan, not every city will have the exact job you’re looking for. It’s common to seek jobs in other cities either in your home state, or elsewhere in the US. If you can’t find the job you want in Atlanta, you will need to broaden your search. Good luck!

very helpful article. i personally love breaking games and finding bugs. i just love to find those bugs that the developers/programmers didnt think of being possible or consider happening. just to find one and say “this is a game breaking bug, here is a way you could fix it” makes me happy because it might help keep another player from experiencing that bug and ruining there experience of the game. the mere fact that i sit playing games the first time through enjoying them and then going back and trying to break them for fun kind of qualifies me or places me in the area for QA game tester already but that doesnt mean much as i cant find anywhere to apply for such a job. i know minor programming and can give details on how to fix bugs in a way a programmer might understand better than the regular person testing the game without the knowledge. it’s just saddening for me that i have been searching for about 3 years now for somewhere to apply for this type of job. i truly have a passion for it, even though it’s considered a tedious job at times, i still love it.

There are many testing jobs available, but you may need to search outside of your home town or home state. Most of the testing jobs are centered in the areas where there are lots of game studios like Austin, LA, San Francisco, and Seattle. You may need to broaden your search.

Hi there, I don’t have any info on which high schools might have game development courses. If you find out, please come back to let us know! In the meantime, no matter which high school you attend, you can always take game programming classes online or learn from books, videos or tutorials. Have fun!

Hi!
I’m 14 and I’m really involved in gaming. Not just gaming but also I have taught myself to do things like mod android apps (apk files) and recently became a Playstation mobile “developer”. To play around with Unity and make little parts of a crappy game. While playing for instance skyrim I look for glitches and bugs I can profit from. I know I’m probably too young and all, but where can I get educated, like are there any programming clubs for teens? And even more I am interested in game testing. Why wouldn’t I? Are there any major or minor gaming companies who provide this for people in my age? For like summer Jobs?
Please answer me soon,
thanks,
Rasmus

Hi Rasmus, I don’t know of any game companies that offer summer jobs for students. But you should look around for colleges/universities that have game dev programs, for example I know that DigiPen Institute has summer dev programs for teenagers. You should start there, maybe explore the list of top game design colleges for summer programs.

Hey ther Im from dominican republic , can i be a video game tester? I love games like resident evil . Castlevania and many fps . And as you can see i speek english hahha also german , french and ofcourse spanish . I live on dominican republic but i can travel to usa and also would like to know if there is some way to work from home as a tester . Thx . Greatings : carlos

Hi Carlos, your English is great! 🙂 I don’t know what tester jobs there might be in Dominican Republic, but you should be able to search Google or the local job boards. You might even check to see whether there are any job listings for remote work on sites like oDesk.com or eLance.com. Good luck!

I love action games like call of duty and other war games.I am in high school what specific major do I need to persue to garenteen a good paying job as a QA?
Also what particular location do I need to go to get the best job.

Hi Celina, please understand that QA is not the highest paying job in the game industry. Look here for the QA salaries. Since you’re in high school, I’d recommend working toward either game design, programming, or art, depending on what you’re drawn toward. Read about some of the other video game careers here.

hi im anthony im 27 and i love video games i played just about every system out there and i wanted to test video games for some time now but i dont know where to start or what to look for to get in the career

Many game tester jobs don’t require any specific experience, they are “entry level” jobs. So start by searching local job boards or some online job boards like Indeed.com or Gamasutra.com or GameJobHunter.com to see what’s available in your area. Good luck!

Hello, sir. I am a young student going into his first year of college next fall. Although I am majoring in Mechanical Engineering (its a well paying job source), I have alot of interest in video game design. I am a bit inexperienced with terms, but I would eventually like to pursue a field of design in which I could help create worlds and sandboxes for games. Whether it be the single player cinematics of worlds like Skyrim or the Multiplayer arenas of Halo. In high school I took many classes in AutoCAD, Architecture and Technical. Using programs to 3D model objects and areas was a thrill! Game tools like Halo’s “Forge”mode really have me Iinterested In map designing for video games one day. Your article addresses becoming a videogame tester as an entry level position. What advice could you lend to me for a goal that I cannot even properly name yet? Also, most of those big cities are not in the Michigan area, so I worry for my chances of getting a job anytime soon…. anyways, thank you for your article. It was a good read and very imformational.

Hi Lucas, I’m glad the article was helpful for you. It sounds like the jobs you might be interested in would be Level Designer, or maybe Environment Artist. Both of those jobs work with 3D modeling game levels. Check ’em out!

As to living in Michigan, most people apply to any job they want anywhere in the country, and then move there if they can. Some companies will even give you some money to help pay for the moving expense (if you ask them for it). It’s very common to move to a new city to take a new job. Good luck!

Hi Chris, being a game tester sounds fun, but it’s a hard job and doesn’t pay as well as the other jobs in the game industry. If you’re 13 and want to work in games, then I’d recommend working toward being a game designer, programmer, or artist. Depending on which one attracts you the most. Check out my article on the different jobs in the game industry, and see whether one of those sounds interesting, then work in that direction.

I’m looking into becoming a game tester I live in Williams lake BC not sure how bout to do it I love video games and I do know most time game testings is for hugs and can be very tedious job writing reports more then game at times but its something I would love Tod do I don’t care bout the pay I just want to work for the company and the games not the pay the isnt essential for me my passion to make the games the best they can be is so any advice how to go bout this would be awesome

Those are great questions, Kevin. I haven’t looked into scholarships, I should do some research and then write an article about scholarships. Look at this article for a list of the top game schools in the US.

In most states, you can’t have a job until you’re 15 or 16 years old. But if there are game studios near where you live, try contacting them to see if they need any play testers – you wouldn’t get paid (maybe they’d pay you in pizza!) but it could be fun and educational.

Hi, my name is Danny, from Houston,Texas. I’m 16 on my sophomore year. I’ve been playing games since in my early childhood years. I currently have a ps3, ps4, and Touchscreen all in one computer (not good for gaming though). After graduating high school, I’m not really sure how to start being a video game tester. I have no skill, but that doesn’t mean I can’t learn. Any tips to help me out?

Hi Danny, depending on where you live, there may be job openings for entry-level game testers with no prior experience. Search for some QA/testing jobs in your area, and see what they list as job requirements on their job postings. Often times, they only require that you graduated high school and have experience with games.

Hi jason.
I allready do this this on my own time, finding bugs, glitches, really anything wrong with the game just can’t report the problem lol. I’ve always wanted to be a tester, I know it’s alot of work but it’s what I’m looking for. If you wouldn’t mind but sending me and email on more steps to do this plz. Thank you.

Hi Cody, you should start by searching for some game testing jobs in your area to see what qualifications they want. You may be able to find entry-level testing jobs that don’t require any special skills apart from being a good communicator, knowledgeable about games, and a hard worker.

you keep referring to finding bugs in games and writing bug reports but what do these things actually require you to do? what would i have to do to find a bug in a game for example and would the report have its own specific writing style and layout?

When a game is in development, there are many different bugs that are often easy to find. To write it up, you’d type your report into a specialized “issue tracker” software (for example, a program called Jira) that has form fields for each piece of information the game team wants to know about. Usually things like, what do you do to make the bug happen? What area of the game is it in? How “bad” is the bug on a scale of 1 to 5?

I have been playing games for a long time. Especially first person shooters. I looked at the requirements for working at Activision. As call of duty is my favorite game, and I have a lot of experience playing that game. If I meet pretty much all the requirements, do you think theres any chance they would hire me if I just finished high school?

I finished High-school in June this year. I’ve decided to build my life around gaming, and I’m having trouble doing so. Considering a very popular method right now is streaming, and video to sources like twitch, youtube, etc… I’ve done a bit of that to no avail; due to the fact that most of those sources require a huge fan base to even partner with them, let alone get payed.

So when it comes down to it, I don’t want to work a “normal job”. I’m not artistic, but I’m articulate. In the position i’m in right now, I need an entry level job somewhere in the gaming industry, and I don’t know the way to it. I don’t live in the cities, so it’s not like I can walk to gameindustry-A and apply for a QA position.

Would you happen to know resources that would help me in my search?
I’ve been playing games since I was two, and have participated in beta-tests as long as I can remember. More specifically; I’ve participated in beta-tests nearly every new game release there’s been in the past 12 years. I’m 18, so it’s legal for me to work in most places, It’s just a matter of finding the company with an open or will be open position as a qa tester, that is lenient on distance to the physical work place.

Hi Brian, it’s great that you’re thinking of turning your love of games into a career. To get hired by a game studio, you need to have some skills that they’re looking for – usually either art, programming, design, or production. If you don’t have any of those skills then you might be able to get a job as a QA tester, but as you mentioned, you’d need to move to a city that has game studios.

It’s a big question, but I do cover some of this stuff in my game career ebook. If you check that out and still have questions, let me know.

Hi, I’m in my first semester in college now and I was thinking about going into gaming since I’ve been playing games for a long time since I can remember. I am thinking about changing my major into something like programming, but I never took a class in high school that was computer oriented and such. I was wondering do you think it would be a good idea to go ahead and change my major or not since I don’t really know about programming?

Before you change your major, I think you should try taking an online programming class to see if you like programming. (CodeSchool has some great classes, and they’re inexpensive – maybe try their JavaScript classes.) If you find out that programming is interesting for you once you spend a few hours learning it, then you might consider changing your major.

You can search for job openings on the game jobs page, just search for “game qa tester” and you’ll see some results. But for most any game job, they can’t hire you until you’re old enough to legally work in their state. Good luck!

my name is jose barbosa. I searched long and hard where to go to apply for a game tester. I want to get paid for something i love to do.I love to play video games alot. I went to the search bar and it kept sending me to sites that states to pay to become a member so they can get me out that the companies that are looking for game testers but it just seemed alil iffy for me to provide them info about me and my finances. I just want to know where do i go to apply for it because i known a guy once who was doing it and making good money doing it too.

There are many game-testing scams on the Internet, so I’m glad you noticed that. You do not need to pay to find jobs, you can the on the normal job boards – you just need to know what to look for. Search for “game qa tester” and you’ll see some listings.

When someone starts working as a tester to start a career in game testing, how often does someone start at an age older than 25? Not saying I’m anywhere near over-the-hill but I’m just worried that my interest and passion for games is past that phase of making it more (financially). I
I’m a fellow geek/nerd/gamer/dork that loves all types of games, on different platforms console, PC, handheld, etc. I get immersed in games as often as I can, exploring every nook and cranny for secrets or “accidentally” finding a glitch. Lol.
I’ve thought about testing for a while, just not sure how reliable of a career that would be. And if I had the chance to get schooling in design or programming, how long does it usually take for a company like sucker punch, EA, ubisoft, treyarch, (and there are others that I like) to pick someone up out of school and give them a shot?
In addition to that, are there a wide variety of jobs in the gaming industry, or not? From reading credits of games that I finish and feel accomplished I see all the names of all these different positions and just wonder if this is a career path that has no limits?

Hi Dennis – yes, there are a lot of different jobs in the game industry. Check out the article on the various video game jobs. The age at what you start doesn’t matter much – although, as with any career, you may need to start near the bottom of the ladder and will work your way up over time.

I read through many of these comments and noticed that many of the questions are from younger and eager future designers who hopefully have a fantastic career laid before them. However, I am 24 years of age and have struggled to find a way to break into the gaming industry in Arizona. I am fluent in a handful of coding languages with experience and will be concluding my Associates program for Software Development in in the next few months but none of that means much if there is no ground to find my footing on. The kicker is, I cannot leave this state without having a solid foundation laid out in another state, but I do not want that to stop me from gaining professional experience in the Game Dev industry.
Game testing is a valid option absolutely, but do you have any advice on how a guy like me can make that transition so I can get my hands in the pie?

Hi Tim, if you’re getting an Associates in Software Development then that’s a good ground to start out on. Here’s my advice: Build a very small game project while you’re in school, to use as a portfolio piece when you start looking for jobs. Then once you graduate, you can apply to jobs in other cities – just be prepared to move to a new city if you get a job offer. I wish you luck!

What are you thought about must-read books that have been published for a game tester? What are your thought about the process of transforming from QA tester to QA Lead? What should a QA Lead know before leading? Are there any specific books for QA Leads to increase their knowledge?

Sorry for so many questions, but I was curious what was your opinion 🙂

Hi Mikołaj, it’s been a long time since I’ve looked at the testing books so I can’t recommend one in particular. Just steer clear of the “make a million dollars testing games” books – maybe go for a general software testing book since they’re more likely to be serious QA books as opposed to hype.

QA Leadership is a people- and/or project-management job. So for QA lead books, I’d look at some general “people management” books like The Mythical Man Month which is a classic, and maybe a project management book or two.

There don’t seem to be very many entry level Quality Assurance Tester job available. The few i’ve seen want at least 6 months experience and previous knowledge. Both of which I lack. I’m disabled and have no choice but to work from home. All the job postings i’ve seen are on site only. Oh well, that’s how every entry level job i’ve tried to look into ends up: a dead end of on site jobs. I guess i’ll just try applying for SSI again.

Hi Emma, I think you’re right that most game testing jobs want you to work on site. But I’d recommend that you go ahead an apply even to the jobs that say they require 6 months experience – sometimes they’ll call you for an interview even if you don’t have the experience.

I have been playing games on the pc all the way back to the commodore 360. and have been playing all of my life. I am now 44 years old I have 6 classes before I graduate with my BS/IT/WD, The whole reason I went back to school was because I like to game and I wanted to get a job as a gamer (tester) I don’t want to get into the development side or the design side I just want to play games and do bug reports. Every site I have looked at all they want to do is sell me a book on how to be a tester. I don’t have the $$ to buy a book or a “plan” any tips on where I might go from here?

Hi Daniel, you shouldn’t have to pay anybody to apply for testing jobs. You could start your search on the game jobs page or other internet job sites, or you can go to the websites of specific studios you’d like to test for and apply from their websites directly.

I have always liked gaming and computers and I am interested in becoming a QA software tester, but not necessarily in the gaming industry.
I was wondering your opinion on starting off as a game tester to gain experience in QA testing, and the relationship in testing other programs and software for other companies, not centered around gaming.

Hey Jason,great article again
I have looked for game tester job(part time) in many sites,companies,etc and all of them have one thing in common:they need testing experience.where can I start from? any sites,companies I can look for job?

It’s common for jobs postings to say that a certain amount of experience is required. But most of the time it’s not a “hard” requirement – companies are often quite flexible in who they will accept for an interview. So if you see a job and it asks for under a year of experience, you should go ahead and apply for the job anyway.

Hi I was just wandering what does it take to be a game tester, and If I did go to College what kind of degree would be better for me to get Hired. Also having a perspective mind of Stuff better, and being logical about stuff Good too. Also what are some good classes in High School to take too because I’m 17 but I want to be as prepared as much as I am. Also lets say I live no where close to where any of the Game complains are. What would I do then.

Hi Kyler, most game testing jobs don’t require a degree unless they also require some computer programming skills. In high school, I’d recommend taking some computer classes, maybe a programming class, and technical writing. (Or whichever equivalents your school might offer.) Many people move away from their home town to get a job after school, it’s normal to move to a new city where there are more jobs in your field.

Hi Jason I have been reading some of theses comments and there’s some great advice. I have been a gamer all my life I love games if someone I know brings up a topic about games I can talk for hours about games. I’m looking to be a games tester because it’s my dream job but i can’t look after my self because of my medical problems. It would take me days to complete a game when I was young but now I can complete some games in a day or two. My quickest game to complete was home front in four hours I thought it was the easiest game I ever played. Any advice how I can become a games tester

Hi Brad, if you’re old enough to have a job right now, then you could start searching for testing jobs and see if any are located in your city. Then, just apply! Start your search at the game jobs search page, or go directly to the websites of game studios that you’re interested in.

Hey sir I’m want to be a video game tester, and we are doing this project and one of the requirements are to interview someone in the field who has the same career me and my teacher couldn’t find any one and the last and only way to get an interview is with you, hopeful you’ll take the time to ask some questions but, I can send you the questions in a email if you want to do it. Like i said hopeful you have some time because my interview is due in a week, no pressure.

Hi Sammer, I usually don’t have time to do live interviews with readers. But if you get on LinkedIn and search for some game testers, you could send them a message via LinkedIn and I’ll bet you’ll get some responses. Good luck on your report!

i am doing an interview in ela for career choices and i would like to know if i can interview you on video game testing and i would really like to know what you do there and how and what the specifics of the job is. all of the details can help me with interview and i would really appreciate it. thanks

Hi John, I usually don’t have time to do live interviews with readers. But if you get on LinkedIn and search for some game testers, you could send them a message via LinkedIn and I’ll bet you’ll get some responses. You should also check out my interview with a game qa tester.

Jason, I’ve been in love with video games since I was 4, mainly Nintendo. I’m 14, about to be 15, planning to get a job/career in the video game industry, but I want to be either a video game tester or video game designer. What do you think?

Hi Samuel, video game tester and video game designer are 2 very different jobs. So the first thing you should do is learn more about each one, and see if you can decide which one you’d like the most. You can get an overview of each at the game careers overviews article, and get a sense of what a “day in the life” is like at the game career interview articles.

It’s good to be skeptical. 🙂 But yes, video game testing is a real job. Go on LinkedIn and search for “video game tester” and you’ll see a huge list of professional game testers. Or look in the credits of any game (MobyGames.com is a good place to look) and you’ll see testers in the credits.

Hello, my name is Aaron and I have been looking into this field for quite sometime. I have over 12 years of Video Game experience, RPG’s Strategy, Sports, FPS’s MMO’s you name it I have played it. I would love to get into the gaming industry, this is my passion. I just would like some insight into this field.

Hi I just wanted to say I know gaming world is not easy but work job isnt I love playing game I love writing I love find patches in every game I play and I usually not that easy… but I tend to have fun with it im not going to say im the best or anything like that but im pretty good at what I do im barely 18 and I love to work . Ive always wanted to a game taster but never really understood how to do so … but I have a few questions on how everything works but I am a hard worker and fun to know and talk to … it hard to work away from home because im a single father of a one year old and I’d to work from home so I could raise him and work at the same time … what would be a good way for me to get into the gaming industry?

Hi Adrian, I just finished a book that should be exactly what you’re looking for. It walks you thorough the basics of game testing, and then how to find jobs, apply, and interview. I hope it’s helpful: Land a Job as a Video Game Tester. Good luck!

are there any places for these jobs in Canada, and for age complies would 17 work. I can honestly say I’ve played video games since I was around 3-4 since then I slowly went up in gaming. now I’m more into battlefield and call of duty or really any shooters. I have found bugs on my own and done a lot of the things you said that you would have to do as a game tester like writing a report, do you have to be good with code and things like that to make a job?.

Hi John, there are many game studios in Canada so you should be able to find some open jobs to apply for. You don’t have to know how to write code, but you should learn the basics of game testing and job hunting. Good luck!

hi im very curious about becomeing a Video Game tester and I’ve been playing video games since I was a child and really want to get into this industry. I live in Canada but I don’t know what area’s around here might employ me so i really wanna know just how i can become a Game tester in Canada and im in to Role playing Games like Dark Soul’s and Skyrim games like that so is there any advice you can offer me

There are many game studios in Canada, especially around Montreal, Vancouver and Quebec, so you could start looking for jobs in those cities by searching online. If you need to know the basics of game testing and how to find jobs, I teach just about everything in my book on becoming a game tester. Good luck!

I just love games, exploiting them and getting advance of any bug. Can’t tell why, but finding a hole left by developers just make me happy and proud like a gold miner. I’m also an IT here, in Italy.

The real problem is, in fact, being Italian. Here we simply don’t have any kind of real gaming industry. I’m 28 years old and planning to move somewhere in Europe, but I’m still in need of some experience.

Where to start? My mother language is commonly not considered for translations, nor I can be useful for customer service. As you can see my english isn’t that good. It would be good to start from home, as I said I work with computers and as an enthusiast, my rig is quite good for testing games.

Hi Mario, there actually are several game companies in Italy – check out this helpful list of Italian game studios at gamedevmap.com. If you eventually want to live abroad, you could start out at an Italian studio and then apply for jobs in a different country with more game dev opportunities (such as England or France) later on, after you get some professional experience.

Hi Jason, I’m Sam and I’m 18 Years old , i really love video games so much , and i want to be a videogame tester but i’m really confused how to get this work ,i think it’s really far to get to it so ,please can you help by advices please ?

Hi Sam, getting a job as a game tester may not be as far away as you think. Most testing jobs don’t require a college degree, you just need to know some of the basics of testing and you can apply for testing jobs. If you haven’t checked out my book on becoming a game tester, then I think that’s a great place to start because I wrote that book specifically for people like you. 🙂

hi sir,
i have two question/request:
1.is it possible to do game testing as a part time job along with learning programming languages and securing a degree or learning as part time along with gametesting?if yes, where can i find it?
2.can u please suggest a fine institution/place in India where i could find one…(because i was upset with my searches..none was showing up)
i am 17 and i would like to build a good base.

ur suggestions/opinions are great.thanks for so much info.:-)i was not aware youngsters have so much oppertunities in gaming..thanks for ur time..

Hi Arun, most QA jobs are full-time jobs. But you could possibly learn programming and get a degree in the evening and weekends from schools that offer continuing education or adult-learning certificates. For example I learned programming and made my first game demo while I was a tester, and then I completed a 1-year game development certificate course while I was working full time as a game designer.

I don’t know of any game-specific universities in India, but there are a great number of Indian universities that will teach you programming and you can earn a computer science degree. Many game developers start with a CS degree, so that may be a good path for you.

hi i love playing game but i want to ask you a q i want to be a game tester but i need to now more a but it more so if you have Skype i need now more and he is my number to (xxx)xxx-xxxx or Skype me xxxxxxxxxxx

Hi Annie, I don’t normally have time to talk on the phone but if you have specific questions then you can ask here and I’ll answer the best I can. 🙂 Also be sure to check out the interview with a game qa tester.

Hi Jason I just love playing video games and I play it since I was small. I am in 8th grade and my question is that in which field should I go like arts, IT etc… and is SDET good or game tester job. And do we get a good salary and all?

Hi Jake, usually an SDET will be paid more than a game tester because SDETs need to know computer programming. If you wanted to be an SDET then an IT education or a computer science education would be a good starting point.

Hi, there, my name is Robert. I’m a gamer that loves JRPGs, and would love to be in this business, but I feel you need to know rocket-science do be in this industry. Am I wrong? I also have no college degree. Is a game tester the best way to start, or trying to a make phone game, if I want to be a game designer? Or should I go to a college? I’m lost.

Hi Robert, you’re right that there’s a lot to learn to be in the video game industry – but that’s the same with any industry. The sooner you start learning, the sooner you’ll get good at it. 🙂 A college degree isn’t required, but a degree or at least a certificate would help a lot when you’re applying for jobs. If you don’t know where to start, then I’d suggest maybe taking a game-related certificate from a local college if possible – it will teach you the basics, and help you start making a portfolio. Best of luck!

Hello Anurag, there aren’t really any game jobs you can just do online from home. Since you’re 13, it will be a few years before you can work in games, but you can start learning now by teaching yourself computer art or programming by taking classes online. Have fun!

i currently just turned 18 and I’m heading to college soon…. id love to be a video game tester to help earn money for college… but i recently sold my system for money for clothes and necessity items and i don’t really live near any major developers.. what should i do?

Hi Dylan, if you aren’t going to college near any game developers or game testing companies, then you probably won’t be able to get a job as a tester as most testing jobs are on-site jobs. If you can get hired as a tester, then the company will provide all the hardware and game systems you need, so it’s okay that you don’t have your system any more.

hi,
I an also a keen passionate gamer , I’ve playing games for about 4+ years but when I want to apply to the game tester job they want experienced gamer but I’ve never been in the industry prior . is their any job at entry level game tester and I live in India is it matter to be from other country ??

Hi Saurabh, many job postings will say “experience required,” but the truth is that they’ll often hire inexperienced testers anyway. I encourage you to apply to those jobs, as long as you meet around 80% of the requirements they list. Good luck!

Greetings! I’m an English teacher and I’m from Venezuela. My question is, could I get a job as a game tester from my country? I ask you this because, part of my job in the Institute that I’m working on, is to interview future students. I recently interviewed a guy that told me he was working as a game tester along with 4 more people. Since gaming is my passion and I’ve been a beta tester for 20 years, I’ve always dreamed of becoming a real tester but didn’t know that I could do it from here. Could I work as a tester from my country? Thanks a lot!

Hi Gabe, I don’t know of any game studios in Venezuela, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some mobile developers or web developers located there. Maybe look for non-game testing jobs to start out with, since many of the skills you learn will transfer to video games later on. Good luck!

I was searching for job like this.. honestly, this type of jobs is my dream, first thing that i known about how to become game tester is the passion on playing a games. I know, the main jobs of the game tester is searching bugs/glitches from the game. A real gamers still can’t be the game tester if he/she can’t focus on searhcing bugs on the games that they’ve played. Now, let me introduce myself.. I’m not a good programer, I’m not a skilled person that can drawing something manual or using computer, but i had experience about game tester that i learned from internet. A bit of story from me, I only had a laptop with bad specs, but i always want to play games. So i setting my pc until i can play a games work on 60fps, but from that, i got some experience especially on focus when playing a games. One thing that important to be a game tester is focusing to search any bugs on games. And then, the most important after focus on searching bugs on games is reporting the bugs that i’ve found. The report must be detailed, so the programmer of the games can fix the bugs from the tester found. Please reply this message Mr. Jason, i just want to get job that same as my hobby.. and that is be a “Game Tester” Thank You..

I have been playing games ever sense I was 7 maybe younger and I haven’t really clicked with anything else I have don’t still don’t know what type of career I want because I am currently in school for auto but I don’t think its going to work out and I am going to go for welding but not sure how that’s going to go but I always play games every day so I was wondering If I have very little computer skills but every now and then I have great game ideas is there any thing I could do in the gaming world with that or not I mean once I was so bored that I was talking with my friends on xbox360 for over 3 hours and we pretty much created an awesome game in our heads didn’t right any of it down but idk just figured I would see if any of that could be used for any job in the gaming world?????

Hi Daniel – video games are super fun! But you can’t get paid just to play games, you have to have some skill in making them. And nobody will pay you for your ideas, because everybody has good game ideas! The hard part (and the part you could get paid for) is to make the games, not just coming up with ideas.

Luckily, you can learn those skills, you can learn how to make games. Start by figuring out what kind of game job you might want (like Programmer, Artist, or Designer) and then research and start learning how to do it. Check out my articles about the different game jobs for starters.

It will take some work, but if you love games and want to make them for a living, then it will be worth the effort. You can do it!

While this overwhelmingly looks like a gimmick, from your picture, Jason, to the e-book, this site has a lot of information and I hope it is true. I’ve done my homework and saw you were a part of Griptonite Games, which made largely handheld console games, which are based mostly on movies. Knowing this I am a bit skeptical because handheld games certainly can’t be as difficult to make as console games, and games based on movies are notorious for being bad. So how would you know about joining those big companies, or making “big” games? To be honest, I never heard of Griptonite Games until just now. Could you ease my skepticism here?

I started this website because there’s very little information out there about how video game companies work on the inside, or how to get started in the industry. I’ve spent literally hundreds of hours, of my own personal time, to write dozens of articles to give you insight into making games as a career. And here they all are, all of them, for free. FOR FREE!

The Internet is a big place, so I’m sure there are other places you can look for guidance. As with anything you might research on the internet, don’t use a single source for information. Take some time, put in some work, and gather as much info as possible from multiple sources.

Just do me one favor: Next time you find somebody willing to spend their own time and energy to help a complete stranger like yourself, please try to have better manners.

I had no intent to offend but I figured I would just be blunt and there was no point in sugar-coating. I had clicked on some ebooks of yours and saw they cost money, linked in some of your replies. This coupled with your smiling face beside it I immediately thought it was a scam. My mistake, I apologize for labeling you a gimmick and thank you for this reply. There are just too many people out to get you these days. If you think about it, the rise of the video game industry could be a good way for people to prey on kids these days who have dreams of being a game developer simply because they enjoy video games.
Now I am honestly curious why you would put so much of your time and effort into this. I had once considered this career, as playing video games is what I do with a lot of my free time (okay most) but I figured there would be so many kids wanting in on this I would have 0 chance.

In games you play, look for glitches and errors. When you find them, document them thoroughly – when it happens, how it affect play, and if you can, list possible fixes for the problem. Then report these issues to the company that publishes the game. Your correspondence over this issue could help give you a contact person in that studio. And this could get your foot in the door of that company.

Thank you for the suggestion, Frank, but sending unsolicited bug reports to a video game company is unlikely to get you hired. Video game companies don’t normally accept bug reports from players unless they specifically offer a web site or in-game form to submit the bug.

Hi Jason, I seem to find myself in a predicament. Currently I am moving on to my senior year at Penn State and I need a new major. I was pursuing Computer Engineering, but programming and I do not get along very well (Once you go past “if” statements I’m Lost). So my first question is, what majors are good for entering the game industry, that don’t involve programming. My next question is about finding an entry-level position that I can learn on the job. I used your job search tool that you provided and most jobs seemed to require previous experience, any suggestions there?

(P.S.) Sorry discovered this as I am writing, didn’t want to backspace. Penn state does offer certificates in game design, should I pursue that? (still need a degree)

Any help would be great! This is the first advice column that is helping me towards my goals!

Hi Cullen, if computer programming isn’t your thing, then the next job to look at might be game design. Since your school offers a certificate, that could be a convenient way to find out whether you like game design and are good at it.

When you’re looking at job postings, keep in mind that many employers will still consider candidates even if they only have around 80% of the qualifications. Watch carefully for postings that say things like “2 years experience required, or equivalent experience” because often times college or independent game development is good enough to get an interview.

I really appreciate the info this has! I’m researching it for a class assignment of our dream jobs, and this is full of detail and I thank you for writing this.

I’m assuming this website is American-based (because of the mention of “provinces”), and I also assume people living in the UK or Australia won’t necessarily be able to use the advanced search; especially if you’re like me, and live in the middle of nowhere, essentially. But does the advanced search apply to worldwide users, or just to American users, or is it possible to select your country with this? I only found this website recently, so I haven’t tested it out, but if this isn’t the case, I hope you consider adding a selection of your home country to users, so they too can search for jobs.

Hi Yuki, thanks for stopping by. You’re right that much of the numeric information (e.g. salaries) and the schools on the site are American-based, since I live in the US that’s what I have the most info about. But all the other info about applying for jobs, what it’s like to work at a video game company, and other info applies everywhere.

hey jason,
so iv loved gameing since i was little and i play about 40 hours a week. i just never get bored of them. the question i have is i want to become a tester first so i can get some feel for the gaming industries before i go ahead and start trying to do a degree in game design and programing. the closest school to me is art instutute of wasington. wich is acouple of hours away. the ting i want to know is im not that i cant draw all that well to be honest. how would that effect on getting a degree in this field.

Hi Chris, you’re in luck: If you want to do game design or programming, it doesn’t really matter if you can’t draw. Being able to draw could help as a designer, but it’s not required – and you definitely don’t need to draw to be a programmer.

I’ve been playing games for the majority of my life. Even so much that it interfered with my classes to the point of me just getting a G.E.D. Needless to say I dont have much schooling but I tend to look for bugs in games almost everyday. Recently I began editing and modding games using C+ programming and have a bit of experience with it. Would it still be possible for me to be a tester or would I need to go back to school.

Maybe I am barking up the wrong tree, but I’ve reached a point in my life where I am grateful for any kind of advise. For the last three years, I have been attending college for a degree I didn’t even want. Long story short, parental figure says there is no demand for game designers/programmers, go into oil! In those three years I have accomplished only 2 years worth of credit in degree, a seething hatred for the Midwest, diagnosis in major depression disorder, a large debt for an unfinished degree and medical expenses, and academic probation for dropping below a 2.0. I have always been a very good student and earned mostly “A”s and “B”s, however over the last year, things have been going downhill in a spiral. I don’t want to explain everything but the end results. I am now taking a break from education to reevaluate my options while I try to find work to pay my hospital bills. My medical condition doesn’t allow me to work very laborious jobs, so finding an appropriate job in the small town that I live in has become nearly impossible. Upon searching for at-home work, which I suspected would be a dead end, I have stumbled upon this article of yours. I have aspired to be in the video game industry for years. I have done my own designing and free-time self teaching for years. I have written dialogue scripts, screenplays (mostly for animations, theatre classes, and my own amusement), and tried my hand out on 3D modeling, and rigging, and animation. I have even worked on table top mechanics for my own board game designs. These things are just what I can think of on the top of my head right now. My point is, I really enjoy nearly all aspects I have tinkered with regarding the topic. I play a fair amount of games as well. From card games to tabletop to video game. I have all these unfinished projects floating around my head, all these ideas I feel could be great. I used to have no free time to myself, and the free time I did find was usually spent lounging on my couch with a controller in my hand ignoring the increasing load of homework I didn’t know how to complete because rent required me to work that day instead of attend class. Now, after doctor visits and therapy sessions, I find myself with all free time and no idea what to do next. I have no health insurance, no job, and no degree. The time I spent working hard for a degree I didn’t want seems to be for nothing. I know I want to get into the game industry, one way or another, and I’ll be damned if I let someone else try to run my life again. So this is what I am asking. What can a debt riddled, determined, small town of Kenai, Alaska resident woman do to get into the game industry?

Hi Jessica, sorry to hear you’ve had some rough times lately, but I’m glad that you’re hanging in there and charging forward. Keep at it!

I’m afraid I can’t help with financial advice. But as far as your game design goals, I think it will be hard to start a career in games in Alaska, because there aren’t any game studios up there that I know of. The closest US city with a strong game industry would be Seattle, so one strategy might be to move to Seattle and get a non-game job while you pursue a video game design certificate or degree. But you’d want to be sure that your health and finances are in order before making such a move. Be smart about it.

Are there any other modules for job searching? I’m trying to find actual openings and opportunities, but the job search on here just redirects me to indeed.com, and they have nothing on there that I’m searching for.

Hi Celty, Indeed.com aggregates jobs from many places so it usually has the best variety of game jobs. But you can also check the websites of specific game companies you’re interested in, and also try Gamasutra.com.

Hello Jason,
I’ve always been interested in working at home doing something I enjoy ever sense I left the service. QA testing has always been a interest because of the detailed work and the ability to work on your own but with a common goal with thousands of others. The issue I’m having currently is that I’ve grown up casually gaming across all platforms and genres and I just don’t have the slightest idea on who I should talk to or where to send a resume. Any help would be extremely apreciated.

Hi Daniel, a job testing games is like any other job: the company will post a job opening online, and then you can apply for it. You’ll want to do some research to learn as much as you can about game/software testing to help you get jobs easier, you can find lots of information here on this website or you can get a copy of my book on game testing if you’re interested.

Hello Jason, I’ve played games since I was around five years old. I always loved the call of duty series, mostly since it was the most gyroscopically advanced of most games. I have a great eye for detail like in call of duty world at war one guy stands in corner while jumping other guy crawls under him (figured this out with my best friend) crawl guy stands up while under jump guy glitches to where if u don’t move you’re invincible. Played it right when it came out heck I’m thirteen and I’m more intelligent than most people I mean I’m spelling college vocabulary over here and I’m in the seventh grade. I believe that the game is a part of me emotionally attached yet somewhat physically as well I believe that the game becomes part of my life my story! I would love to be a video game tester not for the pay but the experience. Thank you for your time, sir.

Hi John, most game testing jobs will require you to work at their office, and they will provide all of the hardware you need – computers, development kits, and peripherals. You do not need to supply your own.

Hey Jason. Sooo I landed a job as a game tester at Ubisoft. For now its a trainee position, with the possibility of getting promoted to junior or even senior positions based on my performance.
I’d like to move into the game design section eventually, like you did. What do you think I should focus on to achieve my goal here?

Hi Akshat, congratulations on landing a job testing games! That’s very exciting. Now that you work at a game studio, you should try to learn as much as you can from the designers. Make friends with them, show an interest in their work, and maybe offer to help outside of work if any of them are making indie game projects on the side. You could also consider taking a game design course either online or at a local college. Also, work to become the best game tester you can, because if you do good work for the company then they’re more likely to keep you around and trust you to try you in other job roles. Again, congratulations, and good luck!

Thanks for your words, Jason. My plan does revolve around making myself indispensable as a tester, as that’s the only way to prove I’m serious about this. I will take your advise and find myself a good online game design course, however.

Most game studios won’t hire you to be a game tester until you’re 18. So for right now, study hard, get good grades, and learn as much as you can about video game development. Don’t worry, 18 seems like a long ways away right now, but it will be here much sooner than you think. 🙂

Hi Jason, I have a question. Since i was a kid i have been into video games. i would like to be in the video game industry, but the thing is that i don’t have any art or drawing skills. what you recommend.

Hey jason im a really big fan of video games espically with the xbox and im hugly above average with my it skills i spend a lot of time on the computer in early hours of morning and xbox in evenings and the odd time im doing kickboxing. I usally help games such as world of warcraft….roblox….etc. with repprting bugs anf at times ive been able to give ideas for creating games and testig them and the same with xbox ive been in touch with alot of game creators.. i hope it doesnt make to much of a differance that im 13 years of age

Hi Corey, most companies would not hire you until you turn at least 18. But that just means that you have a few years to prepare! Learn as much as you can about making games, so you’ll have some experience and knowledge when you start looking for jobs later on.

I love playing video games. But I’ve always wanted to know how the characters are made. I already went to college for game design, but because I couldn’t pass this one programming class, I ended up having to change my major. The art classes didn’t really help me much in understanding how to model a character. People have told me I’m pretty damn creative and I’m detail-oriented. I’m also very focused and love to write.

I just graduated this May and have been searching for jobs ever since. I’d like to become a video game tester, but I wouldn’t know how to break a game. I’ve never done that before. For the five years I went to college, I didn’t learn much in game design.

These gaming companies are always looking for someone who’s experienced. I may not be experienced enough, but I’m more than willing to try and learn how to do it. Sadly, I don’t think that’s going to help me much… 🙁

I have been gaming sencie I was six, I have played many consoles. This includes the nes,snes,n64,GameCube,Wii,ps1,ps2,ps3,Xbox,and xbox360. I have played so many games I have lost count. I have always wanted to be a tester full time. I have many questions though. The first is do you need to be a highschool graduate to be accepted for a job as a tester. What are good companies like Square Enix to work for, and where are they located. What abilitys do companies require their testers to be capable of doing.

Hi Mitchell, most game testing jobs will definitely expect you to have a high school diploma or equivalent (such as a GED). After that, the top things that testing managers look for are computer skills, teamwork skills, and ability to focus and work hard.

I did a quick search on some game boards (the GICG job search, and Gamasutra jobs) and didn’t find any game testing jobs open in Michigan. However – according to gamedevmap.com, there are a few game studios in Michigan. So you might have some luck by reaching out to those studios via phone or email to find out whether they have in-house testing teams, or ask if they outsource to a local testing company you could get in touch with.

Hi Michelle, I’m glad this was helpful! If you’re getting a degree in computer science then I think you’ll be overqualified for most QA testing jobs. I would recommend you look for game programming jobs, because they have a higher pay and they’ll take better advantage of your CS skills and degree.

Hello! I’ve been playing video games for nearly all my life. I’ve put in so much time on gaming it’s crazy. But what do I do half the time I game? I find glitches. I’ve participated in private beta trials in nearly 6 PlayStation exclusive games and two other well-known games. I have also acquired the knowledge to use Microsoft Office programs proficiently, and I am studying game programming for the sake of learning how to better grasp the terminology and understanding of how a glitch is caused, and how it can be fixed. I’m only 17 and I am a junior in high school, however my dream is to become a QA Tester at Insomniac Games, the developers of Ratchet & Clank (which happens to be my favorite game franchise of all time). With the progress I’m making and these goals I have in mind, do you think they would accept me in the event I choose to apply for the job? Thanks for your input in advance. 🙂

Hi Roman – if you’re old enough to get a job, you have a lot of experience playing games, and you have a good work ethic? Then yes, you might have a good shot at getting a job as a game tester. You may not be able to get a job at the specific company right away, any testing job will help you get started. But it doesn’t hurt to try – why not apply for the job?

hi Mr. Jason my Name is Dalton I have been currently working as a student in the Cascades jobcorps in Sedro Woolley, but frankly I’m from Marysville WA, I wanted to ask you if a game tester/QA tester gets any kind of Social life while trying to maintain his current life, I have been told from one person that it’s life crushing and from another it’s a can-do Career, but I wanted to know from your point of view

Hi Dalton, some testing jobs are fine and others might require a lot of overtime. It just depends on the company you’re at, some companies are well-run and some aren’t. And some are well-run, but sometimes external factors cause problems with the game’s shipping schedule and overtime might be required. I’d recommend doing some research on any company before you take a job offer to find out whether their employees seem to be happy or not.

Hello Mr. Bay,
I am from India. I am 16 years old and am doing a Diploma in Computer Science and Technology. After completing my diploma, I would be doing B.Tech and then M.Tech in computer science. I am interested in gaming practically since I first started playing games. Game testing is not only a hobby for me but I am really passionate about this profession. Will my M.Tech degree be sufficient enough to get me a game testing job in a major game developing company like rockstar or ubisoft? If yes, then what would I exactly do after completing my M.Tech? I mean to say that where and how do I apply for this job?

Game testing jobs generally don’t require advanced degrees. Since you’re going for post-secondary degrees, then it might be more applicable for you to work toward a job as a video game programmer, rather than a tester. In either case, start by looking up job postings for game studios near your home to see what requirements they list, and then start working toward those requirements. There are a number of large game studios with a presence in India such as Ubisoft, EA, Microsoft and more.

Hello Mr. Bay,
Thank you for taking your time to reply to my comment. I just have a couple of more questions. Which one of the following jobs has a higher value in the gaming industry ? Is it video game testing or video game programming ? What are the main programming languages that are used in video game programming ?

hello Jason,
i am from india, and i just graduated my high school with 70% in science. i just want to know how do i prepare to get a good job in the gaming industry. What qualifications i need. i dont want to be just a game tester but really make game, m not much into arts and designs i can do programming though, where do i apply for the jobs.
and by the way this blog is amazing. THANKS!

Hi Nafis, if you already know how to program, then you should practice programming video games and start building a portfolio of small game demos. You can apply for game jobs just the same way you apply for any job: Search the Internet or game studio websites to find the job openings, read the requirements to see if you fit 80% of the requirements listed, and then follow the instructions to apply.

When companies post their jobs, the requirements are usually flexible – what they list is actually what they want “in a perfect world.” So if you find jobs that only require 1 or 2 years of experience, you should apply for the job and you might get an interview. But you should learn as much as you can about game testing before the interview, so that you don’t sound like a complete n00b – learn as much about testing as you can so you can speak about it intelligently during the interview.

Some companies have what they call “core hours.” That means everybody needs to be there between a certain time range (like 10am to 4pm), but you have the flexibility to work around those hours however you want. So you could come in at 7am and leave at 4, or you could come in at 10am and leave at 7.

Hi jason, my name is james, i’m 15 and i’ve been working with a company for about a month now, i love programming and we’re working on a hands free social media app called fallound. I really don’t know what i’m gonna do in college but i want to be part of a major position in a gaming company like ubisoft or rockstars for example, can you tell me what major should i do in college, thanks!

Hi jason.i playing games since i was 6years old.i really want to become game tester but the problem is i live in another country and here poeple do not pay attention to games.i want to ask can i work for a dev games from my country(online)?
If not what advice you gave. What are you suggest?
Please answer it to my email

Hey my name is dana i would like to be a game tester or game designer but in my country we dont have such a thing what i mean is in my country gaming is not a main job its just a hobby we dont have companies that helps us to develop or work as game tester or designer not only my country but also the nearby countries

So the only solution in my opinion is to travel to US or UK and follow my dream to work in one of the biggest companies as a game tester or designer, so what do you think ?

Hi Dana – if you don’t have game studios in your country, then yes, you’ll likely need to move to a different country to find work in video games. This episode of my podcast might be helpful: How can I relocate to get a game job in the USA?

I would like to ask, can a game tester able to switch to a software tester later on? This is because I am having a physics/engineering degree and I do have some knowledge of programming. But what I lack of is the experience of testing a software.

Since game tester is the only software QA jobs that doesn’t require a per-requisit to be a computer science/ IT graduate. Will I be able to join game testing to get myself familiar with the testing environment and then switch to software testing ?
Thank you.

Not necessarily, because testing games can be quite different from testing business software. Doing ad-hoc testing of game clients doesn’t well prepare you for a different job writing test automation for Java servers, for example. But it will familiarize you with the software development process, and you’ll get practice reproducing, reporting and regressing bugs.

Hi my name is Johnathan. Im from Virginia. I want to play video games for a living but I hear you don’t make good money is this true and what is the max I can make as a Video Game Tester. Also I am 17 so im trying to start working so

Hi Johnathan, you can’t make money by “playing games” (unfortunately!). Game Testing is a job, and like most jobs, it can be hard work and isn’t always fun. You can see what game testers make on the game tester salary page.

I am currently striving for a college degree in writing and programming, it would seem going with the game tester route would be the easiest in terms of climbing he hierarchy, and just going in with a college degree would be faster but I think experience beats that.so if I developed my own game or my own storyboard etc.would that help me in getting more better jobs such as in design or art

Hi Carlos, in your question, you mention several different game jobs: writer, programmer, tester, design, and art. So the first thing I’d recommend is to get some clarity on which game job you want to do. If you can identify what it is you want to do, then the path will be clearer. If you’re currently going for a degree in writing or programming, then try to do some game-related projects while you’re in school, to start building your portfolio. Then you’ll be able to apply for jobs directly after college.

I am b.tech,CSE student and I have 1 yr experience as a IT support engg. and 1.5 yr experience as manual tester in a Software company.But i want a job in gameing industries as a tester .So please suggest me what types experience required to be part of a game industries.
Because I have applied many time in UBISOFT, gameloft ,EA and other game companies for QA post and game tester post,but till i am not getting any response from their site. So please suggest me what type of qualification and knowledge required.

Hi Satadala, I think you have enough experience to get a job as a game tester. So it’s hard to know why you have not been hired yet, you may just need to be persistent and keep applying. You should also try applying for smaller game studios, as EA/Ubisoft/Etc. likely receive hundreds of applications each week. You may have better luck with a smaller studio to start out.

Hi. I am a 17 year old student from new zealand in my final year of high school. I have been playing video games since Crash Bandicoot came out on the Playstation 1 system, and back then I could find many bugs and errors with the game. I am looking for a job as a Video Game Tester, and I enjoy challenging environments, as well as repeating things in games over and over again, this coming from my Prince of Persia puzzle history with the original game. Is there any branches for large companies such as Bioware, Bethesda Game Studios or EA in new zealand? or will I have to search outside of the country?

Hi Jacob, your first stop when looking for game studios in a given location should be GameDevMap.com. It’s a crowd-sourced list of studios. I can see that there are over a dozen developers and publishers there, but I don’t see any of the “giant” companies you mentioned – but that’s okay, because you don’t need to target the big, famous developers for your first job. Start wherever you can, build your experience, and then you can move elsewhere later on. Good luck!

Hi.I am a 12th student from India and have taken the commerce stream . Sir i would like to become a Qa tester,but i dont know what to do after 12 like what course should i go for for acheiving my ambition .I am willing to go to any place and study to achive my dream . Sir please help to achieve my dream and help me to reach a higher position in my life with a good salary.

Programming is a career path, but gaming is not a career path. Well, at least it’s not what I’d call an “established” career path – there are people making money as streamers on Twitch for example, but it’s rare to make a full-time income by playing games.

Hello my name is Semanou and I’m 13 years old and I’m in 7th grade. Is it possible for me to became a game tester at this young age. One of my friends plays tournament and gets paid so could I became a game tester and get paid. And if I could be a game tester could you leave a link or email for a companies that could accept me.

Hi Semanou – unfortunately, most game companies and testing companies won’t hire you for a job until you’re 18 years old. Until then, just learn as much as you can about video game development, maybe try making a game of your own. The article on free tools for making your first game might help you get started.

Hello, I’m 16 and I have been playing video games for as long as i can remember. I enjoy playing games for hours on end, I also enjoy finding bugs in games that are in closed Betas. I have found numerous bugs on League of legends PBE, Overwatch Open Beta, Even found a few on big name games like Halo and Call of duty. I have reported all of these bugs and have gotten them fixed because of me finding them. I do not even know how or where i would even start to pursue a career in this field.I am determined to get a job as a game tester because of my love for video games. I would highly appreciate if you could give me a rundown on where to start, What requirements i need, Where i need to go and a overall estimate on how much this would cost me. Thank you very much!

Hi Ruben, it sounds like you’ve already started developing some of the skills you need to get a job testing – namely, learning about games, and learning how to find and report bugs. You do NOT have to pay anybody to get a job testing games – game testing is like any other job, you just need to find the jobs (start your search here), apply, and interview. If anybody tries to make you pay to find testing jobs, it’s probably a scam and should be avoided.

Hi, I’m from Sri Lanka. I’m an undergraduate at an engineering faculty. I’m looking forward to work as a game tester in the vacation of the university. Is this possible given that I’m from Sri Lanka? Is there anyway to work as a temporary game tester online?

Hi Nima, there aren’t really any jobs as “work from home” or online game testers. You should apply for normal, on-site testing jobs in your country. If there aren’t any game studios or game testing companies near you, then consider working for a non-game software company as a tester, because you may still get useful experience in software development.

Hello Jason W. Bay I was playing video games with my dad when I was around 6 months (I wasn’t very good at all) Like running to wall for hours and for days too. And you can see dad laughing. And soon I was getting good at it. So when I was 10 years old I was thinking for when I was 4. I want to be a Game Tester and my dad said to me “You can be anything you what you got to believe it inside yourself” So I believe for a every long time, Now I’m 17 years old and thinking for almost 13 or 12 years now. I’m finally thinking doing it but my hometown, Kingston South East (South Australia) No TAFE at all, but Mount Gambier have it but no Game Tester. But I see a lot of Game Tester sites but really have no guts do it. But now I can, it’s there anything I can do because Video game have been I my life for so long. If you read this please text back because I really in is stuck of things. Thank you Jason W. Bay

Hi Leahym, game testing is just a job like any other. You need to have some basic skills to do the job, and then you can start applying for jobs. However, if there aren’t any game testing jobs in your city, then you may need to relocate if you get a job offer in a different city.

Hey Jason, so I’m 15 years old and have been into gaming ever since I was 4, so my question is which degree should I really go for when I go to college to be a playtester? And how will that degree impact my career?

Oh, but here’s the catch: the only company I would ever playtest for would be VALVe or EA. (Only for Battlefield of course.)

VALVe would be my first choice, but it is quite literally across the damn country.

But by the time I turn 18, EA could be swimming in lawsuits and could be a memory of the past. Ultimately I see VALVe winning but like I said, they’re on the other side of the country and the playtesting program they have focuses on local playtesters, such as those in Bellevue, Washington.

Hi Evan, thanks for the questions. First of all, playtesting isn’t a full-time job, you might be thinking about the QA Tester job that’s described in this article. That is a full-time job, and most companies do not require a degree to do that job. Also, there are dozens (hundreds?) of game studios in the US, so I recommend you don’t limit yourself as to which one you’d work for when you first start out — you’ll have a lot to learn, and you can learn at most any game company.

Hi,I am only 17year old but I’ve played so many games.Actually I’ve been playing since I was 5,and got my first gaming computer.I would love to play video games and be paid for it.I know that it’s not like that,but it’s harder than it sounds,but I searched it and I know what I have to deal with.I am spending arround 17-20hours per day just playing games,every type,I never get bored of it.The bad thing is that no one supports me and I live in a country that can’t provide games….So that’s how I ll never be a game tester.

Hey Jason, I have read so much on become a QA tester and have a few questions. First I’m going to start off by saying I am a successful BDA for All State insurance, I am 27 years old, and I have 3 diploma’s all in the business field. You might be wondering why I would be interested in pursuing a video game testing job as I do have a successful career already but to be honest gaming is the thing I love the most and I’ve never had that feeling of waking up and being excited to go to work, I kind of just do it cause the money is good and its what I’ve got at the moment so I roll with it. I now understand that you need to do a job you love over a job that pays well because its the thing you do most of the time! and lets be honest, I don’t get excited everyday about selling insurance or handling someone’s claim. I have been a hardcore gamer since I was 5 years old, all started with a Sega genesis. Ive played competitive in league of legends, heroes of the storm, overwatch, cs:go, wow arena (when it was big), I’ve literally played all these gamers with the best of the best and at one point was sponsored by 2 different companies to pursue a competitive scene in overwatch and league of legends. So my gaming experience and skills at games are well above average, as well as my knowledge for games themselves (I’ve played so many!) My question to you is do you think it is possible for someone being 27 years old to get into the gaming career? Am I limited by my age? And I also live in Canada (close to Toronto) and I feel Canada may not have the best gaming studio’s, if any near me at all….. Now I tried reading a few things from your book and tried using your “search for studio’s near you” engine but I don’t think its geared for Canadians. What steps do you think I should take to pursue this dream I have to become a game tester or even just work with a gaming company through marketing or design, writing (I have a very smart mind and I feel I can create a very good gaming story line, Ive created 2 previous games with my friends and the story line was killer! Story was all me!) etc.

Hey. I’ve been gaming most of my life and am meeting my ends as a teenager. im 17 almost 18 and am a senior in high school. For my English 4 class im required to ask a few questions that hopefully you can answer? I Love most games, and I always replay levels on games over and over, simply to see if I can do weird things anyways, so I thought maybe starting as a beta tester and working towards a game designer would be really nice. Id rather work from home though, as im limited on transport. any suggestions?

Hi Jason, my name is Myra and my question to you is. Do any game companies hire GT’s for specific software only? I specialize in slot apps and I feel my input towards a game company’s slot app could really benefit their app’s success and could take their app to another level. Is there anyone looking for people like that or are GT’s expected to be equipped with multiple games skills?

I think your experience testing slot apps would be appreciated by game companies, because the testing process should be nearly identical between the two types of products. I think you should go for it.

Hello! I know this is from a few years ago, but I see you still answer peoples inquires, thanks so much for that! I only have one question, what are the reports on bugs like? Is there a format that you need to use, and do many of the reports look similar if the bug is similar? For instance, if you glitch through the floor in a building, but also in another town over of a game, would that be two different reports written the same, except for location? And how long are the reports typically? I’m actually about to buy your book in a few minutes so sorry if you address this within it, but thought I’d just get a jump start and ask here. Thank you!

Hi Alyssa, my book does go into detail about how to write bug reports (thank you for buying a copy!). The answer to your question is “it depends” — sometimes a bunch of glitches are caused by a single bug in the code, but you probably wouldn’t know that unless you talked to a programmer about it. In your example, if you notice that you glitch through the floor in many places, you might write just one report that describes the bug and then gives a few examples of where it happened. That might be good enough to help a developer find the bug and fix it.

Hey I really want to Persue a career in video games and want to read your book but do I really have to buy it? I’m 17 and I don’t have a credit card lol. My parents don’t really like the idea of video games as a career either so they won’t buy it. So is there anything else that I could do to read it?

Your parents might be open to it, if you can help them understand more about the game industry. I recommend sending them a link to the getting started page, because it gives an overview of how big the industry is and how much people can get paid working in games. If they have any more questions, please let them know they can email me. 🙂

I love gaming a lot i also haved beta tested and alpha tested once, i am really good at finding gitches in games and other things like teuture desplacement and other things. wish i can get the job that i want

Hi, I am Alex and I am in school at this time(VERY YOUNG in jr high)I am looking for a university and stuff and I was looking mosty at the game department and really would like to be in makeing games or a game tester please reply to this and any collages for me?